History

Our History

  • Pakistan Girl Guides Association was organized by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on 29th December, 1947. On that day Miss Fatima Jinnah was requested to become life patron of Pakistan Girl Guides Association and Begum G.A.Khan was elected as the Chief Commissioner later designated as National Commissioner.
  • Begum G.A.Khan, the first National Commissioner of Pakistan Girl Guides Association, had been involved in the Girl Guide Movement as a young girl and was Provincial Guide Commissioner of undivided Punjab before independence.
  • The Association is protected and incorporated by Ordinance No. XLIV of 1960 by Government of Pakistan.
  • Pakistan Girl Guides Association (PGGA) emerged on the World map in 1948 when it became a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)
  • The highest Award in the Girl Guide Movement- the SilverFish was given to Begum G.A. Khan in 1951 for her contribution to the Guide Movement in this sub-continent.
  • During 1947-48 the Association had the services of only two trainers who organized training weeks all over Pakistan.
  • The second Annual Meeting of the General Council was held at Guide House Lahore from 5th to 7th January, 1949 and was attended by representatives from all the provinces.
  • The need to set up a training department with a trainer in each province was greatly felt at the second Council Meeting. The first step taken in this regard was the selection of Miss Khalida Bashir, a trained Guider from Hyderabad Deccan, at that time settled at Lahore. She was sent to London for one year’s Trainer’s Diploma.
  • The training school was started in Lahore in 1952 and the first batch of seven Girl Guides from East and West Pakistan were recruited in April 1952.
  • The World Bureau sent the training Commissioner from Kenya, Mrs. Durrant, to Lahore to test the trainees of the first Batch, who were later, posted in their respective provinces.
  • Trainers conducted training courses and in 1953 Guide companies were formed, district and Divisional Commissioners were appointed and canvas and service camps were organized.
  • The Provincial branches were organized in each of the five provinces of Sindh, NWFP, Baluchistan, Punjab and East Pakistan as independent units up to 1954.
  • In 1955 the west wing of Pakistan was integrated into a single unit. As a result from 1955 to 1971, the Pakistan Girl Guides association had three organizational units with the provincial status of East and West Pakistan and the Federal Capital area Karachi. Fours Provincial branches were made divisional branches.
  • In order to give emphasis to the needs of the time badges and competitive shields were introduced on themes such as eradication of illiteracy, community projects on health and environment, economic uplift, food and nutrition, handicraft, forming special guide companies for physically and mentally impaired girls.
  • In 1961-62 Girl Guiding was taken to Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
  • In 1967-68 a new branch of the Association for the Federal area of Islamabad was established as the Capital of Pakistan was shifted from Karachi to Islamabad.
  • In 1972 after the dissolution of one unit new provincial branches came into being for the provinces of Sindh, Punjab, NWFP and Balochistan with Divisional branches according to new Administrative set up of the Government.
  • In 1974 The National Headquarters was inaugurated at Islamabad.
  • 1974 The Girl Guide programme was revised and branches of members and other terms were revised as follows:
  1. Bluebirds as Junior Guides
  2. Rangers as Senior Guides
  3. Cadet Rangers as Cadet Guides
  4. Sixer as Patrol
  5. Flock as Company
  6. Wisebird as Junior Guide Guider
  7. Court of Honour as Patrol Leaders Council
  • 1975 The new programme was launched at the Country level.
  • 1976 the National Training Centre was established at Islamabad.
  • 1980 Mrs. Talat Ahmad, International Commissioner, PGGA was nominated by WAGGGS to represent AP Region at U.N. Women’s Mid-Decade Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • 1981-82 Guiding was introduced in Federally Administered Northern Areas.
  • 1991 The training Scheme was prepared.
  • In 1991 PGGA hosted 21st Committee Meeting of AP Region. Mrs. Lena Levidis, Vice Chairman, World Committee, hoisted the new World Flag at National Headquarters for the first time.
  • 1991 Mrs. Hidayatallah got elected as Chairperson AP Committee
  • 1993The training Scheme was accredited by WAGGGS.
  • The first Conference for Women Leaders from ECO countries was organized at Islamabad from 20th to 22nd April, 1993 , 100 delegates from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran, members of Pakistan Girl Guides Association, non-Governmental voluntary women organizations, International agencies, Business and Professional Women’s club and Pakistan lawyers association participated.
  • 1994 The Literacy Resource Center was established in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO – formally inaugurated October, 1995 at the Guide House, Lahore, Pakistan. It is functional to date
1997 Building World Citizenship

SINDH – SINDHULI HANDICAPPED PROJECT, PAKISTAN – NEPAL

PGGA Sindh Branch decided to work in Partnership with Nepal on a three-year project with Handicapped in Nepal and Health and Sanitation Project in Pakistan in which the trainers of both countries worked together.

  • 1997 Ms. Shamim Awan was appointed as Member of AP Training Pool
  • 1997 The Girl Child Programme was launched.
  • 1999 The Girl Guide Programme was revised.
  • 2003 New revised programme was launched.
  • The First Lady, Begum Sehba Musharraf, took the Guide oath as Chief Guide in an Investiture Ceremony held at Islamabad on 28th April, 2003.
  • Tahira Ahmed gets selected as the Member of Asia Pacific Training Pool for the period of 2002-2005 and 2005-2008
  • The National Relief and rehabilitation Cell of Pakistan Girl Guides Association was formed in 2005 at the National Headquarters Islamabad in 2005 for planning, implementation and coordinating all relief activities during disasters.
  • Nighat Arshad got elected as a member of the Asia Pacific committee in 2004 -2006 and as Vice-Chairman of Asia Pacific Committee from 2007 to 2010
  • PGGA became a Champion Global Action Theme (GAT) in 20080
  • First ever National Campsite was developed at the National training Centre Islamabad in 2009-10 to provide camping facilities to 2000 girls and young women. The building component of the campsite will be utilized as National Training Institute catering for:
  1. Kitchen as a nutrition lab
  2. Camp hospital as first aid, home nursing, and emergency preparedness lab
  3. Camp office as entrepreneurship, personal grooming and skill development lab.
  • In 2009 Dr. Nafisa Shah took oath as Honorary President of Pakistan Girl Guides Association.
  • A Computer Lab was established at the National Training Center, Islamabad. PGGA received financial assistance from the Friends of Asia Pacific through 3L (Lifelong Learning) Project. The capacity of Lab was enhanced through the support given by the National Council of Social Welfare by adding more equipment.
  • In 2010 Begum Yousaf Raza Gillani became Chief Guide of Pakistan Girl Guides Association.
  • Begum Kalsum Nawaz became Chief Guide of Pakistan Girl Guides Association in 2015.
  • Mrs. Moeena Hidayatallah became honorary President of Pakistan Girl Guides Association in 2019.